Page 92 of Haze

I stand again, this time to take Lena to bed.

Dinah walks around the table and wraps her arms around me with a laugh. “I’m a hugger. Finn, it’s been great to get to know you. I can’t wait to hang out again, maybe in some place more fun.” Letting me go, Dinah turns to Lena, and her tone turns scolding. “I love you, but pull your head out of your ass.” Her tone drops softer. “I’ll see you in the morning. My flight’s tomorrow afternoon, but if Mom and Dad try to stay around, I’ll bump it.”

Lena bristles, her shoulders tensing, and she shakes her head ever so slightly.

“It was good to meet you,” I assure them both, moving past whatever there is to do with Dinah and Ezra’s parents.

“I love you.” Dinah continues wrapping her arms around Lena. “I think we’re coming here for Solstice, but if not, I want to see you for sure on Equinox.”

It feels personal between the two of them, so I divert my gaze.

Once Dinah walks off toward the hall, I look at Lena, only to hear Dinah’s voice. “Finn.”

I look back at her, and she points between me and Lena. “This is your official medical clearance. But be gentle with her, and if it’s painful beyond what normal fun you two depraved creatures like, stop and give her more time to heal.” Dinah wiggles her eyebrows.

Ezra snorts, following Dinah. “Damn, always knew the little innocent one would turn out to be a freak. Catch you tomorrow, little Lena. Love you.”

I’m floored. I go scarlet and run my hand across the back of my neck. Dinah cackles as she walks away from us and down the hall. I never considered Lena needing time to heal, but despite how attracted to Lena I am, sex isn’t on my mind. I serviced Lena through heat, so why am I turning scarlet because her sister knows what we do when we’re alone?

Lena shakes her head, and when I look at her, the fire that’s been missing lights up in her eyes. “I’m sorry, are you blushing?”

I wrap my arms around her, trying to draw attention away from me. “Let me take you upstairs. We can put on the TV or go back to sleep, whatever you want, but I’m not open for sex until after you’ve shifted.”

“No, no, we’re not walking past this. You’re blushing,” Lena pokes. “Besides, it’s awfully rude to say no sex. Dinah said.”

“I’m not quite okay with your cousin telling us it’s okay to fuck,” I hiss.

“Pft. Who knew you’d be a prude?” Lena speaks at full volume and rolls her eyes.

I grab hold of her chin and tip it up to face me. I kiss her deeply.

Breaking our kiss, I murmur, “Some things aren’t about physical pleasures, faolan.”

Chapter 29

Lena

Finn is the most amazing snuggler. That hasn’t changed from my heat. So much changes when you’re in your heat, but this, wrapped in his arms with the perfect amount of toasty warmth behind me, is—there are no words.

He’s asleep, and I’ve lain here for... I’m not sure how long. But I still can’t sleep. I tried mimicking Finn’s breathing patterns, pretending to be asleep, and running through the periodic table of elements, but none of it worked. Tomorrow I’ll face Aunt Alora and Uncle Elliot. There’s not a lot that can settle the nervous energy.

Before we lay down, Finn set my phone on the charging dock next to my bed, and the curious part of me wants to at least catch up on school and work stuff. I’m sure there’s some drama that I’ve been looped in on, and it might help to feel normal?

My phone lights up, and it says it’s barely after midnight, but it doesn’t feel like it. Curled up in a blanket with the fireplace on, it’s almost as warm as snuggling with Finn. Settling in, I start catching up on almost two weeks’ worth of social media notifications, text messages, emails, and coursework. I delete most of them. It’s either too late to reply or has been handled by someone else.

I’m opening the last set of messages when a new text pings through. Nikki is newer to the lab. This is her third year in Minnesota. She transferred, with her parents, from the pack in California shortly before the incident that took wolves public. With lab experience and being highly intelligent, it wasn’t hard to make friends with her. I think she knows we’re friends?

She jokes that she won’t adjust to Midwest time, so I’m not surprised it’s her texting me much later than the rest of the world.

Nikki:

Are you awake?

Me:

Yeah. I think I’ve probably done enough sleeping for a while. Gotta get back to my night owl status.

When are you coming back?

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